ABC Wednesday 4: R is For...


... RHS Chelsea Flower Show

You'll have to forgive me if I'm a bit scatterbrained today, but my head's still in a whirl after yesterday's wonderful visit to Chelsea with my friend H. This post will be about random thoughts and first impressions. I've got lots of individual cameos and stories to tell you later and unlike other RHS events, there's no way Chelsea can be confined to just one post. I've decided to start with a picture of Luciano Giubbilei's gold medal winning Laurent Perrier garden, not because it's my favourite - it isn't, nor did it win best in show - but I need to look at one of my more tranquil scenes in order to start to make a sense of things.

I can't tell you whether this is a vintage Chelsea or not because this was my first visit and it wouldn't be fair to compare the real thing with my impressions gleaned from TV programmes. I expected it to be far more crowded than it was: tickets were sold out, but I believe member's days like yesterday have slightly fewer tickets allocated. It was easy to see the all the show gardens, except the Courtyard ones, but we members of the good natured crowd (about 3 deep) patiently waited until a convenient gap was found to nip in for a good look. I've been in much more crowded floral marquees too, such as Gardeners' World Live last year, though I don't know whether this was due to fewer exhibitors. We didn't get to see everything, but we did get to see all we planned to see and more, plus there was plenty of time for a chat with exhibitors, designers and some blogging buddies: unfortunately I didn't get to see all of you (especially Little Green Fingers and Constant Gardener whom I knew would be there) - I'm so sorry - next time perhaps?

Some of the gardens were much better in real life than on paper and vice versa - more on that later. There seemed to be more issues-led gardens than usual, though it could be the fewer gardens this year made them stand out a bit more. On the whole I thought a lot of the planting was quite restrained and quite blocky in nature. There wasn't a riot of colour and my overall impression was of white. The plants I noticed most were Libertia, Eremurus, Aquilegias (often in contrasting dark purple and white combinations), Angelica and white Alliums. Whilst most of the gardens were great and thought provoking, none of them made my jaw drop this time.

It was in the Great Pavilion where I was blown away. There was possibly the widest number of flowering months represented in one show for a long time, ranging from Daffodils to Dahlias. I would love to know more about how the growers perform the apparent miracle of stopping and starting growth and flowering in preparation for the show. If the outside was lacking in colour, then here it was in abundance: the exuberance of the Caribbean, the native flora of South Africa, perfect vegetables and a host of flowers of every hue. Some of the exhibits must have been larger than some of the show gardens: the Hilliers stand was absolutely huge for instance.

On my way to London on Monday I was worried I'd be disappointed with my visit. I needn't have: a chance encounter with an exhibitor on the train, plus meeting (and staying) with the lovely Victoria beforehand added to my excitement. The journey home wasn't a let down either as we took an open top bus (or broken bus as I used to call them) from the show to Victoria station. Then on the train home a rather vocal woman (probably having had a few Pimms too many) kept the whole carriage hugely entertained with her opinions of the show, needlepoint, the MP's expenses scandal and private education for her darling Hugo and Sebastian. I got home just after midnight and was so abuzz with everything I'd seen I didn't get to sleep until well after two a.m. this morning. So I'm afraid that's all I can manage for now: there's much, much more to come over the next few days :D

For more Ravishing posts on the letter R, do visit the ABC Wednesday blog.

Comments

  1. Sylvia (England)20 May 2009 at 13:19

    I am not surprised you are tired, Chelsea is a very long day. I went once 20 plus years ago and like you I looked around the garden first but the floral marquee (as it was then) was amazing. The colour and scent, unbelievable. I am glad you had a good day and look forward to more of you impressions.

    Best wishes Sylvia

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sherrie20 May 2009 at 14:46

    HI!
    Lovely "R" post! I really like the splash of color in this garden! Beautiful! Have a great day!!

    Sherrie

    ReplyDelete
  3. Zoë20 May 2009 at 14:47

    Having been watching the TV coverage, its the Pavilion I am missing seeing too.

    Almost tempted to go on the off chance one evening and pay a tout!

    Zoë

    ReplyDelete
  4. LittleGreenFingers20 May 2009 at 14:48

    Hi VP - so sorry to have missed you. I picked up my Heucheroholics pen and saw your envelope was still there so hung around a bit but it was always a very slim chance that it would be exactly when you dropped by... Next year, let's make a plan to meet - perhaps we can also try to catch up with your delightful travelling companion at the Pimms tent!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Carrie20 May 2009 at 16:20

    So lucky!!!! I'm jealous. I feel the need to spend some time surrounded by prefect plants and lovely designs. I don't think I'd like all the people, even if it was member's day, I'd need a super duper 'you're really special' day with even less people around and more hours in the day. Sounds fab and I can't wait to hear about it from you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hermes20 May 2009 at 16:38

    What a great post and obviously you had a wonderful time. I'm so glad my favourite herb lady Jekka won another gold.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Frances20 May 2009 at 16:57

    Hi VP, we breathlessly await the snippets of your thoughts to come about the big event. Don't forget to tell us about Victoria's garden and anything else you might have seen. I love the story about the lady on the bus filling you in with her strong opinions! HA
    Frances

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nutty Gnome20 May 2009 at 17:20

    I really enjoyed you post today - I've always put off going to Chelsea beacause of the crowds and my lack of height! I've been following it on the TV, but it seems to have lots of 'celebs' and little real information this year and much as I love Joe Swift, I still want plant info!

    The stopping and starting growth and flowering is to do with a combination of fridges and hairdryers apparently!

    Glad you had a good day.:)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Gail20 May 2009 at 17:22

    Chelsea, please ma'am, we'd like some more! gail

    ReplyDelete
  10. Threadspider20 May 2009 at 17:25

    Look forward to hearing the stories firsthand tomorrow. Glad you had a great time.

    ReplyDelete
  11. TYRA Hallsénius Lindhe20 May 2009 at 17:33

    Thank you VP for a most entertaining post. I just love the way you write. Un fortunately I couldn't watch the videos from RHS it said something like 'not available in my area' :-(
    I'm so proud that Ulf Nordfjell took the Daily Telegraphs gold medal.
    Great R you shared with us today!

    Tyra

    ReplyDelete
  12. Joanne20 May 2009 at 18:19

    Hi VP
    So glad you had such a lovely time I hear you conspired with Victoria and are planning a Garden Bloggers Garden next year !!!

    I look forward to your posts and comments and particularly the small gardens and Pavillion
    Joanne

    ReplyDelete
  13. Flighty20 May 2009 at 19:03

    It's good to see that you had a enjoyable day there. xx

    ReplyDelete
  14. jay20 May 2009 at 21:27

    I've never been to the Chelsea Flower Show, but maybe I should! I've often been frustrated trying to track down a particular variety, and I would imagine anything that is obtainable would be there!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Victoria Summerley20 May 2009 at 23:13

    I'm glad you had a good time and I hope you're not too exhausted. I love your picture of the Laurent-Perrier garden.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Tumblewords:21 May 2009 at 05:29

    What a lovely trip it must have been - you'll have memories and photos for a long time - hope you'll post more about your trip!

    ReplyDelete
  17. The Constant Gardener21 May 2009 at 09:42

    ooo ooo count me in on that garden bloggers' garden!!

    Am I alone in always coming away with the urge to submit a plan to do a small garden at Chelsea?

    I see sense fairly quickly as I've seen enough of what exhibitors go through to know that it's the mother of all headaches - but still... I do have a yen one day...

    perhaps if we all joined forces it would be a bit easier. Or at least a shared headache!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Bradley Hsi21 May 2009 at 10:35

    I remember well the flower show when we were in England so long ago. I do not think we ever made the trip to visit. Thanks for sharing your exciting experience.

    ReplyDelete
  19. VP21 May 2009 at 13:27

    Hi everyone - yes I'm shattered, but it's a happily excited shattered!

    Welcome Sherrie & Grace and Bradley, so glad you liked what you saw here :)

    Sylvia - both H & I wished we were 20 years younger by the end - especially when we climbed the steep steps up to the top deck of the bus afterwards!

    Zoe - I thought this might make you a bit wistful. Ticket touts were being most discrete when we were there!

    Dawn - sorry to have missed you too. Now, I'm most intrigued by your mention of an envelope - I introduced myself as Veg Plotting instead of VP, so didn't get one. I did get a pen and fridge magnet though :)

    Carrie - it was fab and just try and stop me shutting up about it. I was trying to tell NAH all about it yesterday and at one point he said 'I think you need to talk to Threadspider about this tomorrow'. Luckily we'd already arranged to meet up for coffee...

    Hermes - I had a very long chat with Jekka - she's utterly fabulous and charming. More to come later.

    Frances - lots more to come. I'm doing things the wrong way round as Chelsea's still on. But don't worry, I have a very special post to tell you all bout my fab stay with Victoria and breakfast with Emmat :D

    Nutty Gnome - yes fridges and hairdryers are key as well as light periods depending on which plants are involved. But Dahlias in May is quite a feat and I've found a fab link to use that tells you all about it later

    Gail - try shutting me up about it - you can't!

    TS - lovely to see you this morning and to hear about your hols too xx

    Tyra - I thought you'd be pleased with the result and many thanks for your kind compliments

    Joanne - a garden bloggers garden would be fab. I've been mulling it over the past few days. I'll also be saying a little bit about the lovely Mr Evison soon...

    Flighty - thanks :)

    Jay - yes, more plants than you can shake a stick at!

    Victoria - thanks. I see there's one almost exactly the same on the BBC website! And I'm exhausted but happy :)

    Tumblewords - thanks and of course there'll be more!

    CG - no you're not alone. I already have some design ideas floating around in my head. Now the question is - just how serious about this idea and if we are, how do we make it a reality?

    Grace and Bradley - you're welcome!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Mrs Mac21 May 2009 at 15:08

    Oooo I'd love to go to the Flower Show one year! When my brother lived in London (Walthamstow) he and his partner would go at the closing and come home on the tube with enormous plants. It must have been a sight! I wish I had lived nearer and could have joined in!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anna21 May 2009 at 20:44

    It sounds as if your feet had still not touched the ground when you wrote your post - it really conveys the magic of Chelsea. That big floral marquee is really something else ! I imagine that you will have a good kip tonight.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Dragonstar22 May 2009 at 18:10

    What a wonderful experience that must have been. I never made it to Chelsea, and I'm not likely to now, but you've managed to communicate the excitement. Thank you.

    Thank you also, in spite of the fact I'm so late, on behalf of the Team!

    ReplyDelete
  23. VP23 May 2009 at 10:29

    Helena - it was wonderful! And I saw some discrete little signs saying you could reserve your selloff plants even on the Tuesday ready for Saturday!

    Anna - the kip didn't quite happen on Wednesday either as we went to see Al Stewart in Devizes (of all places!) on Wednesday. My head's still in a whirl even now!

    Dragonstar - you're welcome!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love hearing from you and welcome thoughtful conversations :)

Comments aiming to link back and give credence to commercial websites will be composted!

Your essential reads

That blue flower: A spring spotter's guide

Image
Spring is a prime time for blue flowers and my daily walks currently have several from the same plant family* lining the local footpaths. As I walked past the Donkey Field the other day, I overheard some children ask their parents** what the pictured blue flower was. It reminded me it's often mistaken for those other familial blues and this time was no different, as they said it was forget-me-not, instead of the green alkanet it actually is. As well as similar flowers, most of these plants are hairy in their nature, flower around the same time, and favour damp, shady places. Many of them are great for pollinators too, especially bees and this week's warm weather has certainly drawn them to these flowers. This makes it even more likely for these plants to be mistaken for each other and it's a great opportunity for me to put together a spotter's guide in case you find the same flowers on your outings. Staying with green alkanet, the key features which set it ...
Read more

Jack Go To Bed At Noon

Image
Last year this rather exotic looking flower appeared on mine and several other allotments for the first time. Having been stumped (again) by Mr Allotment Warden as to its identity, I rushed home to find out what it was. It's salsify, aka the marvellous Jack Go To Bed At Noon - named as such because its flowers always close by midday. Here you can see both open and closed flowers - making it seem even more exotic and alien than in the first picture. I think this must be the cultivated version because the flower in my Francis Rose Wild Flower Key looks exactly the same in form, but is bright yellow in colour and called meadow salsify . Its other common name is Goatsbeard, which must be a nod to the fantastic dandelion-like clock which forms the seed head. With 'parachutes' like those shown above, who knows how far our plotted plants came from. I rather like the photographic dissection of the seedhead found in this link . Salsify is edible: its lateral shoots and fl...
Read more

Red Nose Day - Gardening Jokes Anyone?

Image
The nation goes ever so slightly bonkers on Red Nose Day - hurrah! Previously, it's been very easy to join in - usually via a dress down day at work plus lots of people up to mad things at the station and in the office. Everyone smiling for once - it's a real feel good day and all in a good cause. This year's different - every day's a dress down day for me now - my friend L suggested yesterday that perhaps I could have a dress up day instead and whilst that's a good idea, I confess that ballgowns and tiaras don't really feature in my wardrobe: scruffy student's always been my favourite look. So my Red Nose Day contribution for this year is to compile a list of gardening related jokes. For each one (clean ones only please) you leave in the comments below, I'll make a donation of 50p to the cause. Here's a few for starters just to get you warmed up: Q Why do potatoes make good detectives? A Because they keep their eyes peeled. Q What did the grape...
Read more

Salad Days: Mastering Lettuce

Image
I've decided one of my salad challenges for this year is to grow as many lettuce varieties as I can, ready for the publication of my planned Factsheet* later on. The idea is to grow as many of the Tried and Trusted lettuce varieties last year's Salad Challengers helped compile, then provide a visual guide and as many lettuce facts as I can muster. So far I've found around half of those listed**. Then naturally whilst I was out searching - because such is the way with seeds - a number of other varieties found their way home too ;) A couple of weeks ago I sowed 22 varieties***. Just the simple act of sowing them has me intrigued. Why are some lettuce seeds black and others white****? They split into about half white to half black in my sample and as far as I can tell it's nothing to do with whether they're a type of cos, iceberg, or whatever. I sowed them indoors and popped them into a propagator on the windowsill. The soil's too cold outside for sowing ...
Read more

VPs VIPs: Derry Watkins of Special Plants

Image
Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Derry Watkins at her home, garden and nursery - the acclaimed Special Plants - just a few miles along the road from me. I first met Derry at one of her open garden days last year and was keen to find out more about her wonderful garden and running an independent nursery. She specialises in tender perennials and regularly goes on plant hunting trips to find new treasures, particularly in South Africa. As well as running Special Plants and opening her garden under the NGS scheme , Derry holds day courses at her nursery, hosts Special Tuesdays from April until September, lectures and has written a couple of books. How did you find your way from Connecticut to the UK? I'd started a biodynamic vegetable garden in Connecticut and we used to have people come along at weekends to help out. A particular young man turned up: he returned many times and at the end of the summer I married him. So it was all down to love? Isn't that the...
Read more

#mygardenrightnow: heading into summer with the Chelsea Fringe

Image
Ahhhhhh, that's better! I love walking through dewy grass in bare feet, not that there's much in the way of grass on my back lawn this weekend. My wild and woolly lawn has morphed into meadow of sorts this month, which even NAH admits looks attractive*. It's also proved a great source for my Flowers for mum project so far, yielding self-sown perennial cornflowers, lamb's ears, and lemon balm in addition to the blooms you can see. These originated from elsewhere in the garden, the ox-eye daisies must have blown in from the A350 nearby. * = he got very stroppy about the weeds aka self-sown foxgloves in the lawn one year, so he's come along a bit since then. Skimble's demanding to say hello to you too. He does enjoy the patio when it warms up. If the embedded video doesn't work try this link instead. The Nectaroscordum are a revelation. I planted the bulbs around 2 years ago, but it's only this year they've bloomed properly. The bee...
Read more

Make Use of Mildew

Image
On my garden patrol this morning I spotted some powdery mildew on a couple of my new Verbena bonariensis plants. I suppose it was almost inevitable as I prefer to grow my plants hard - this means no water for them unless they look absolutely desperate. This approach means plants root themselves more deeply and have a better chance of survival during spells of dry weather like we've had lately. However, it also means I run the risk of problems like today's, especially with any garden newbies planted late in the season. We've had a good drop of rain overnight, so this should help my plants survive. I'll mulch them later today to help lock in the moisture as it's water stress which encourages the mildew to take hold. I've also removed the infected leaves and sprayed the rest with a milky drink.* I'm also pleased to find there's a use for my infected leaves. Oliver Ellingham at Reading University has started a PhD - sponsored by the RHS - researchi...
Read more

The Resilient Garden

Image
  Part of Tom Massey's Resilient Garden at RHS Hampton Court I've been pondering VP Gardens a lot lately. Last year's drought conditions set me off initially, then our harsher than usual winter combined with this summer's flip and flop weather means the thinking continues. It's a huge topic which I freely admit I'm struggling to get my head around. Tom Massey's Resilient Garden  at Hampton Court recently  tackled this topic brilliantly and was a timely interlude which gave me much food for thought. There he encapsulated the detailed research he'd found which informed both his show garden and book of the same name. I think it's one of the most important show gardens I've ever seen. It's clear the way I garden needs to change so that I have my own resilient garden. I haven't worked out the exact details yet, but Tom's book plus a couple of others (see below), alongside the rainwater management handout from the show garden's  sponso...
Read more

Chelsea Fringe 2014: Shows of Hands - Episode I

Image
The gloves NAH used to build the raised bed . The effects are L to R, top to bottom:  Original photo, Warhol, HDR, Green tint, B&W, Posterize, Boost, Cross process and Sepia Welcome to Shows of Hands - my Chelsea Fringe project for 2014! As you can see I've been having a bit of a play around in Pic Monkey for my first contribution. You're welcome to join in between now and 8th June 2014. The idea behind this year's project is to highlight the tool most precious to a gardener: their hands. How do I take part? It's simple. All you need to do is take a photo of hand(s) in a gardening context and then share it via your blog or other social media (such as Twitter or Facebook), then make sure I know you've done so. I've set up Mr Linky below for your blog contributions. The Chelsea Fringe photo on the right sidebar links to this post, so you can easily find it again when you're ready to add your contribution. If you share your photo on Twitter, ...
Read more

Testing Times: Tomatoes

Image
  I've run a couple of tomato trials this year. The first is a revisit of the biochar trial with Oxford University I attempted some years ago (with a different organisation this time), and the second is a trial of a water gadget called Plantsurge which I was given to try at Malvern Spring Show earlier this year. Most of you have probably heard of biochar already and the claim that this inert, carbon-rich material can help soil fertility and plant health. The RHS information in the above link says results can be mixed, with reduced effects found in alkaline soils. This may help to explain the lack of difference I found in my previous trial as VP Gardens is on a lime-rich soil. Plantsurge is a different beast altogether. It's a strong magnet which is attached to a hosepipe as shown in the photo above. It's claimed that it softens water, with the result more like watering with rainwater. The higher nitrogen found in rainwater is thought to be beneficial to plants. Gardener...
Read more